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Featured Artist: Jane LaFazio

I’ve called myself ‘an artist’ since 1992. I’ve been doing it full time since 1998 (job layoff precipitated that career free fall). I describe myself as ‘an artist working with paper and with cloth’ since I’ve added art quilts to my long list of interests.

I started my first Moleskine (sketchbook) in February 2006. (I must confess, I love the tidiness of a Moleskine, the uniform size, and the cover, that gives no hint to what’s inside.) I write, collage, ink, sometimes sew and especially color pencil, because it works beautiful on the sketchbook pages. I used a little watercolor, and tried mixing watercolor with gum Arabic, but the sketchbook pages didn’t take watercolor paints very well but water-soluble crayons Neocolor 2 by Caran d’Ache worked great.

The minute I heard there was a new watercolor Moleskine, I ordered it. It’s my 4th moleskine. I am, at my core, a watercolor painter. It’s been so wonderful to use my relatively new ‘straight to ink, no pencil first’ sketching skills (encouraged by Danny Gregory,) and then go right to watercolor. I use my little portable pallet filled with my fave/basic colors, and recently started using the ninja watercolor brush which makes it so easy and quick to set up. And I have a folding chair, with a shoulder strap, and oh, a new ‘carpet bag’ made by my friend, Noreen, full of other supplies—just in case. (Colored pencils, pens, water-soluable crayons,and both my Moleskines; sketchbook and watercolor, and water, Luna Bars for sustenance, and a cell phone.) Twice now, I’ve painted out on the elementary school playground (where I teach art a couple days of week). The children (who all know me) surround me with questions and comments about my paintings, my brush, my earrings! They’re so amazed when I point out the scene I’m working on. “Did you copy that?” a first-grader asks. “I drew it,” I reply. “Look how you got the yellows in that tree” an observant 3rd grader points out. “Wow, you’re good,” say most of the kids. “You’re even better than me,” says a confident 5th grader. And my favorite comment, “you’re the best artist I have ever known,” says an unbiased 2nd grader.